Gilead files NDA for lenacapavir in HIV-1

US biotech firm Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) says it has completed submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval of lenacapavir, an investigational, long-acting HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in heavily treatment-experienced (HTE) people with multi-drug resistant (MDR) HIV-1 infection.

The submission is supported by data from the Phase II/III CAPELLA trial, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of lenacapavir administered subcutaneously every six months in combination with an optimized antiretroviral background regimen. Key data on lenacapavir will be presented during the 11th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science in July 2021.

In May 2019, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the development of lenacapavir for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in heavily treatment-experienced patients with multi-drug resistance in combination with other antiretroviral drugs. Lenacapavir, which is being studied as an every-six-month subcutaneous injection, is a potential first-in-class capsid inhibitor for the treatment of HIV-1 infection without overlapping resistance with any currently approved antiretroviral therapy (ART).